Chicken manure processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A manure processing apparatus is defined which has a processing bin and a plurality of augers, with the augers arranged vertically and adapted to move back and forth along the length and width of the processing bin. The apparatus further comprises an air conditioning system to compost the manure and to dry the manure to produce feed.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an apparatus for processing chicken manure andmore particularly to an apparatus for homogenizing and drying chickenmanure to produce fertilizer and animal feed.

2. Technical Background

Animal waste is converted into compost by the process of fermentation.Composting of manure requires continuous circulation of airhomogeneously through the manure with control of temperature andmoisture content. If the manure is not mixed with air, ammonia canaccumulate and produce increased protein breakdown. The process includesat least three operations: agitation of the manure, homogenization, andsimultaneous aeration to provide oxygen for aerobic decomposition bymicro organisms. The compost is then dried to a moisture content of nomore than 45%.

In the conventional process for composing chicken manure, the generalpractice has been to store or pile the organic materials to be compostedfor a certain period and to periodically turn them over at a proper timeinterval to promote aerobic fermentation, a proper amount of air beingpreferably fed to the stored materials from the bottom thereof duringthe storage. Plowing or turning the piled materials over isindispensable in order to uniformly mix the materials as well as tofractionalize the materials so as to substantially increase the totalarea of the surface of the materials exposed to air. The material isdried in the sun or in a drum-type drier heated by means of oil burners.Belt type driers can also be used in place of a drum-type drier.Attempts have also been made to perform these operations by means ofindirect driers, such as, for example, tube-type driers, but theseresulted in operational malfunctions due to clogging.

Prior use of poultry manure as a fertilizer material has been somewhatrestricted by low nitrogen content and the often accompanying malodor.Preparation of the raw manure invariably leads to unwanted decompositionand loss of nitrogen. Malodor is not surprising and something of abyproduct of the decomposition process. Other drawbacks to wider use ofthis material as a fertilizer are evident from an overview of the priorart.

Fermentation is an aerobic thermophilic reaction wherein heat isgenerated as the mixture decomposes and the temperature of the mixtureprogressively rises to an optimum value. The mixture remains at thiselevated temperature while the decomposition process continues for aperiod of time, depending upon such variables as moisture content,manner and extent of aeration, and the nature of the mixtureingredients. Thereafter the mixture gradually cools and the productionof aerobic bacteria ceases. The aerobic thermophilic reaction ismaximized when all portions of the mass are slowly aerated uniformly andto the proper extent. In order to aerate the mixture properly it isnecessary to agitate the whole mass slowly in such a manner thatsubstantially all portions of the material are exposed to an optimumamount of air for an optimum period of time. If the mass is agitated tooviolently or if the amount of air is excessive, the mixture will bedried and cooled. On the other hand, if the air supplied is less thanthe optimum amount required or if the mass is not agitated properly thebacterial activity will not reach its maximum potential and thecomposting process will require an unduly long period of time.

Many devices are known which combine agitation, homogenization, andaeration. Agitation and homogenization have used a variety of means suchas rotating milling mechanisms and augers, conveyors with agitators,horizontally reciprocating or linearly moving rakes or plows, and rotarydrums with or without baffles or radial fingers projecting into themixture. With such types of equipment the proper aeration has not beenachieved because homogenization is not complete and uniform. Forexample, with rakes it is impractical, if not impossible, to agitate themass so that the oxygen in the air will come into intimate contact withall portions of the material for the required time interval. In the caseof rotary drums, some portions of the mass remain stagnant for an undulylong period of time while other portions are caused to fall or tumblerapidly through the air stream directed through the drum. In eithercase, substantially all portions of the mixture in the drum are notuniformly exposed to the air for the required period of time to achievethe optimum operating conditions to allow the reaction to progress atits maximum potential rate and to produce the maximum nutrient content.

Besides providing an excellent fertilizer, chicken manure can serve as ahigh grade food supplement comprising as much as 40% of the finishedfeed for chickens, having a protein value as high as 20% by weight.Chicken manure processed as feed can result in longer life of the animalas well as increased egg production. Chicken manure must be dried toabout 10-17% moisture content and sterilized to be used as feed withoutcomposting. However, without complete composting or addition ofunacceptable chemicals such as formaldehyde and urea, the final feedproduct will have an unacceptable odor.

At the present time there are no known chicken manure processing devicesfor practical commercial use which can produce compost or feed that isdevoid of objectionable odor. This is because existing devices cannotadequately homogenize and aerate an entire mass of manure withoutexpensive, complicated, and impractical devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention processes chicken manure to produce animal feedand compost for fertilizer. The apparatus agitates, homogenizes,composts, and dries the manure to produce fertilizer, and agitates,homogenizes, and rapidly dries the manure to produce feed. Both thecompost and feed have no objectionable odor. The apparatus uses a systemof augers arranged vertically so that the manure is continuously raised,from the bottom of the processing bin to the top, from one end of theprocessing bin to the other end, and from one side of the processing binto the other side. The augers thereby agitate and homogenize largequantities of manure, allowing air and heat from an air conditioningsystem to be distributed uniformly through the entire mass of manure.The thorough composting and/or the thorough drying create a fertilizeror feed that is devoid of objectionable odor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the manure processingapparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the linear movement of the cross-beam and theside-to-side movement of the auger assembly in the processing bin.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the manure processing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the manure processing apparatusin conjunction with a preprocessing bin and a grinder.

FIG. 5 illustrates a circular embodiment of the processing bin of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the following description details the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction andarrangement of the parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, sincethe invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced invarious ways.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the manure processing apparatus 10 ifthe present invention. Apparatus 10 has a processing bin 11 having frontend 30, back end 31, and cross-beam 12. Cross-beam 12 extends from afirst side 32 to a second side 33 of processing bin 11, and across thetop of processing bin 11. Cross-beam 12 rides on cross-beam tracks 14which extend from the front end 30 to the back end 31 and along the topof processing bin 11. Cross-beam 12 has an auger assembly carrier 15which carries an auger assembly 16 back and forth between side 32 andside 33. Cross-beam 12 has a motor 13 which moves cross-beam 12 back andforth along the length of processing bin 11, between front end 30 andback end 31 on track 14. Motor 13 also moves auger assembly 16 back andforth along the width of processing bin 11, between the first side 32and the opposite side 33, on auger assembly carrier 15. Auger assembly16 comprises two or more mixing augers 17 which are rotated by augermotors 18 so as to lift the manure placed in processing bin 11.

FIG. 2 illustrates the interaction of cross-beam 12 and auger assembly16 as cross-beam 12 moves back and forth along the length of processingbin 11. At position A cross-beam 12 is at front end 30, and augerassembly is at first side 32. As cross-beam 12 moves to position Btowards back end 31, auger assembly 16 moves on carrier 15 to oppositeside 33. As cross-beam 12 moves to position C towards back end 31, augerassembly 16 moves back to first side 32. This process continues ascross-beam 12 through positions D through G to the back end 31 ofprocessing bin 11. When cross-beam 12 reaches back end 31, it triggers aswitch which causes cross beam 12 to move back to front end 30.Likewise, when auger assembly 16 reaches a first side 32 of processingbin 11, it triggers a switch which causes the auger assembly to move tothe opposite side 33. The movement of cross-beam 12 from one end to theother and the auger assembly from one side to the other proceedssimultaneously, continuously, and at any rate of movement as desired.Processing bin 11 can have any desired dimensions, preferably beingabout 45 feet in length, 15 feet in width, and 12 feet in height. Mixingaugers 17 can be of any desired dimensions, preferably being about 4inches in diameter and extending downward to just above the bottom ofbin 11.

FIG. 3 illustrates an end view of processing bin 11. Mixing augers 17depend from auger assembly 16 from cross-beam 12 at the top portion 34of processing bin 11 to the bottom portion 35. Bottom portion 35 has abottom auger 36 which removes compost or dried manure from processingbin 11. Bottom portion 35 also has heating ducts 37 with plate covers41. Plate covers 41 have holes 42 for air to pass from the heating ducts37 to processing bin 11. Processing bin preferably rests on a cementfoundation 43 which forms the heating ducts 37 and a groove 44 to holdbottom auger 36. Bottom auger 36 can be any desired dimension,preferably 12 inches in diameter and extending the length of bin 11.

FIG. 4 shows additional elements of the present invention which can be,preferably, included for processing manure. Preprocessing bin 45 isconstructed similar to processing bin 11 except that auger assembly 50is fixed to cross-beam 51. The augers 52 in preprocessing bin 45, thus,move only back and forth along the length of preprocessing bin 45 andnot from side to side. Heat is supplied from the top of preprocessingbin 45 by an air conditioning system (not shown). Preprocessing bin 45is used to remove some of the moisture rapidly from the manure. Oncethis initial removal of moisture is completed, the manure is transferredto grinder 46 by bottom auger 53 and conveyor 47. Preprocessing bin 45can have any desired dimensions, preferably being about 19 feet inlength, 14 feet in width, and 12 feet in height. The dimensions of theaugers 52 and 53 are similar to those described for processing bin 11.Any suitable grinder or hammermill known in the art may be used to grindthe manure, such as, for example, a Gehl Grinder Mixer 170 (Westbend,Wis.). This grinding step ensures that the manure is broken up intoparticles of any desired size which facilitates homogenization inprocessing bin 11. Manure leaving grinder 46 can be transferred toprocessing bin 11 by conveyor 48. When manure processing is complete inbin 11, the final product can be conveyed out of bin 11 by auger 36 toconveyor 60. Also shown is duct 40 and air conditioning system 39.

Manure, particularly chicken manure, can be processed relatively rapidlyat low cost in the manure processing apparatus of the present inventionto produce a compost fertilizer or animal feed that is essentially freeof objectionable odor. In a preferred embodiment the manure is firstpre-processed in preprocessing bin 45 to remove water and moisture asneeded. Auger system 50 is moved back and forth along the length ofprocessing bin 45 by cross beam. 51. As augers 52 rotate they lift themanure from the bottom to the top of the preprocessing bin 45. The augersystem 50 could also be adapted to move from side to side in addition,as described for processing bin 11, but this is not necessary. Themanure in preprocessing bin 45 can be heated from above by any suitableheating source. The manure could also be heated from the bottom but thisis also not necessary. Preprocessing bin 45 can be filled to its topwith the manure.

When sufficient water and moisture is removed from the manure inpreprocessing bin 45 it is transferred by bottom auger 53 to conveyor47. Conveyor 47 transfers the manure to grinder 46, which grinds up anyclumps, aggregated material, and any other debris in the manure,producing a relatively uniform manure substance which is suitable forhomogenizing and mixing. The preprocessed, ground manure substance isthen transferred to processing bin 11 for further drying and/orcomposting. Processing bin 11 can be filled to its top with the manure.

The manure in processing bin 11 is homogenized or mixed by the action ofaugers 17 which are driven to rotate by motors 18 to raise the manurefrom bottom 35 to top 34. The augers 17 simultaneously move from one endof the processing bin 11 to the other within about 5 to 10 minutes.Thus, the augers 17 will make a complete cycle from front 30 to back 31and from back 31 to front 30 within about 10 to 20 minutes. At the sametime heated air from heating ducts 37 is forced through holes 42 intothe manure from the bottom 35 of processing bin 11. Only the bottomportion of the manure, about two feet from the bottom, needs to beheated because the augers 17 will lift this manure, and the liftedmanure will be replaced by manure from the top. By this process ofmoving the augers 17 back and forth along the length of processing bin11 and heating the manure from the bottom, the manure is thoroughlyhomogenized, mixed, and dried. Consequently, the manure can becompletely and uniformly composted or dried, producing a product that isdevoid of objectionable odor. The processes is substantially moreeffective in composting and drying if the augers 17 are also moved backand forth from side to side of processing bin 11 while simultaneouslymoving back and forth along the length of processing bin 11, asillustrated in FIG. 2.

Air conditioning system 39 provides heated air at any desiredtemperature and rate to compost or dry the manure. The air is forcedinto heating ducts 37 via duct 40. The air is forced through holes 42 inplate 41 and into the bottom portion of the manure. Plate 41 is,preferably, removable so that plate 41 and heating ducts 37 can beeasily washed and cleaned. The temperature of the manure can bemonitored by temperature monitoring devices such as, for example,thermometers and thermistors which are well known in the art. Atemperature monitoring device can be positioned anywhere in processingbin 11, but preferably suspended from auger assembly 16. Temperature canbe monitored electronically and the signal from the temperature monitorcan be processed by a computer system, by methods well known in the art,to regulate air flow, air temperature, speed of rotation of the augers17, rate of movement of the cross-beam 12 along the length of bin 11,and the rate of movement of auger assembly 16 from side to side acrossbin 11. These factors and elements can be regulated and adjustedautomatically by the computer system as desired to produce compost andfeed at any desired rate with any desired moisture content. A similarcomputer system and temperature monitor can be applied to preprocessingbin 45.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment 70 of the present invention.Processing bin 71 is circular instead of rectangular. Cross beam 12 isan arm which extends from the periphery 72 of bin 71 the center 73 ofbin 71, and can be supported and held in place by an I-beam. Cross beam12 also has an auger assembly carrier 15, an auger assembly 16, andmixing auger motors 18 which rotate vertically oriented mixing augers(not shown). The circular processing bin 71 operates in a similarfashion as the rectangular processing bin 11 except that cross beam 12moves around the periphery of bin 11 on track 14, driven by motor 13.The auger assembly, thus, is moved in a continuous circular path aroundthe interior of bin 71. Simultaneously, auger assembly 16 moves back andforth between the periphery 72 and the center 73 (along the radius ofbin 71), also driven by motor 13. Bin 71 has an air conditioning system39 to deliver air and heat to bin 71, as described for bin 11.

The foregoing description has been limited to specific embodiments ofthis invention. It will be apparent, however, that variations andmodifications may be made by those skilled in the art to the disclosedembodiments of the invention, with the attainment of some or all of itsadvantages and without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention. For example, any type of manure can be processed forcompost or feed in the present invention. The temperature can beelevated sufficiently to sterilize the compost or feed. Multiple airconditioning systems can be used. The bins can be emptied by means otherthan an auger, such as shovels, scoops, and the like.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials,and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustratedabove in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the principle and scopeof the invention as recited in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of processing manure, comprising thesteps of: a) raising the manure continuously across the length and widthof a processing bin; and b) delivering air and heat to a bottom portionof the manure.
 2. A method of processing manure, comprising the stepsof: a) raising the manure continuously across the length and width of aprocessing bin; b) delivering air and heat to the manure; and c) dryingand sterilizing the manure to produce feed.
 3. A method of processingmanure, comprising the steps of: a) raising the manure continuouslyacross the length and width of a processing bin; b) delivering air andheat to the manure; and c) continuously monitoring the temperature ofthe manure and adjusting air flow, moisture, and temperatureautomatically within said bin.
 4. A method of processing manure,comprising the steps of: a) raising the manure continuously across thelength and width of a processing bin; b) delivering air and heat to themanure; and c) controlling the raising of the manure and the deliveringof air and heat automatically by a computer and temperature monitoringdevice.
 5. A method of processing manure, comprising the steps of: a)grinding the manure; b) preprocessing the manure to adjust moisture; c)raising the manure continuously across the length and width of aprocessing bin; and d) delivering air and heat to the manure to adjustmoisture.
 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step ofcomposting the manure for use as a fertilizer.
 7. A manure processingapparatus, comprising: a) a processing bin having a defined width andlength; b) a plurality of augers within said bin, arranged verticallyand adapted to move back and forth along the length and width of saidbin; c) an air conditioning system to deliver air and heat to said bin;and d) said augers constructed to raise the manure continuously and theair conditioning system constructed to deliver air and heat from thebottom of the manure.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising agrinder.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a preprocessingbin.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a cross-beam tosuspend said augers and move said augers back and forth along the lengthof said bin.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said cross beam has atrack to move said augers along the width of said bin.
 12. The apparatusof claim 7 wherein the augers and air conditioning system are adapted toconvert the manure to compost.
 13. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein theaugers and air conditioning system are adapted to convert the manure tofeed.
 14. A manure processing apparatus, comprising: a) a processing binhaving a defined width and length; b) a plurality of augers within saidbin, arranged vertically and adapted to move back and forth along thelength and width of said bin; c) an air conditioning system to deliverair and heat to said bin; and d) said air conditioning systemconstructed to continuously monitor temperature of the manure and adjustair flow, moisture, and temperature automatically within said bin.
 15. Amanure processing apparatus, comprising: a) a processing bin having adefined width and length; b) a plurality of augers within said bin,arranged vertically and adapted to move back and forth along the lengthand width of said bin; c) an air conditioning system to deliver air andheat to said bin; and d) a computer system and temperature monitoringdevice to operate said augers and said air conditioning systemautomatically.
 16. A manure processing apparatus, comprising: a) acircular processing bin; b) a plurality of augers within said bin,arranged vertically and adapted to move in a circular path within saidbin; c) an air conditioning system to deliver air and heat to said bin;d) a cross-beam to suspend said augers and move said augers back andforth along the radius of said bin; and e) said augers constructed toraise the manure continuously and the air conditioning systemconstructed to deliver air and heat from the bottom of the manure.